rh 





m 



C)-%^->-i ^xkm^-m Ant. JfrtM%*-~*A 

VERMONT, MONUMENTS AT GETTYSBURG 



REPORT 



VERMONT COMMISSIONERS 

18% 



INCLUDING THE SPEECHES AND POEM 
AT THE DEDICATION, 
OCT. 9, 1 







BURLINGTON : 

THE FREE PRESS ASSOCIATION 

io9o 



£>75 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS. 



To His Excellency, the Governor : 

The Commissioners to build Monuments to Vermont valor at 
Gettysburg, appointed under the act of the General Assembly, 
in 1886, and continued in office by the act of 1888, respectfully 
report that the work entrusted to them was substantially com- 
pleted in the autumn of 1889, and the five monuments erected 
under their supervision were publicly dedicated on the 9th day 
of October, 1889 ; and the future charge thereof was at that time 
accepted by the Gettysburg Battle-field Memorial Association. 

It may be said without boastfulness, because such is the uni- 
form testimony of visitors to Gettysburg and of the newspapers in 
different states, that the Vermont monuments compare favorably 
with any of the more than two hundred monuments now standing 
upon that field, although many others cost more money; and as a 
whole they fittingly commemorate the unsurpassed valor and fidel- 
ity of the troops from this State upon that field and other fields of 
the Civil War. 

In this final report, therefore, it may be of interest to embrace, 
with an account of the ceremonies and utterances attending the 
dedication, 

A BRIEF HISTORY 

Of the inception and progress of the enterprise. 

In his annual message to the Legislature at the October session 
in 1886, Governor Ormsbee referred to the movement in several 
states to make Gettysburg the monumental field of the war, by 
reason of the magnitude and importance of the battle as well as 
of the ease with which the field can be visited by multitudes, and 



after speaking of the prominent part taken in the battle by the 
volunteers from this State, he concluded as follows : 

"I recommend that liberal provision be made for the early erec- 
tion of a suitable monument on the battle-field of Gettysburg, to 
"mark the spot where the soldiers of Vermont rendered such signal 
"service to State and Nation, that it may not become a matter of 
"doubt, and to commemorate and perpetuate their patriotism and 
"valor." 

In pursuance of this recommendation an act was passed, at 
that session, appropriating $2,500 for the purchase of sites upon the 
battle-field and for kindred purposes, (to include, also, the expenses 
of the commission) and the further sum of $6,500 was appropriated 
for monuments. The commission, of which the act made the Gov- 
ernor a member, was appointed by an executive order dated Decem- 
ber 18, 1886, as follows : 

THE COMMISSION. 

Ebenezer J. Ormsbee, Brandon, Governor of Vermont. 
James H. Walbridge, North Bennington, Second Regiment. 
Thomas 0. Seaver, Woodstock, Third Regiment. 
French F. Oarrick, St. Johnsbury, Fourth Regiment. 
Cornelius H. Forbes, Brandon, Fifth Regiment. 
Thos. B. Kennedy, Fairfield, Sixth Regiment. 
Geo. Grenville Benedict, Burlington, Twelfth Regiment. 
Albert Clarke, Rutland, Thirteenth Regiment. 
Noble F. Dunshee, Bristol, Fourteenth Regiment. 
Redfield Proctor, Proctor, Fifteenth Regiment. 
Wheelock G. Veazey, Rutland, Sixteenth Regiment. 
William Wells, Burlington, First Regiment of Cavalry. 
Cassius Peck, Brookfield, Co. F, First U. S. Sharpshooters. 
Homer R. Stoughton, Shelby Iron Works, Ala., Co. E, Second TJ. 
S. Sharpshooters. 



— 5 — 

Curtis Abbott, Boston, Mass., Co. H, Second U. S. Sharpshooters. 

Edward H. Ripley, Mendon, for the State at large. 

Fred E. Smith, Montpelier, for the State at large. 

F. Stewart Stranahan, St. Albans, for the State at large. 

The Commission met in Rutland on the 30th day of December 
and organized by choosing Governor Ormsbee, chairman, and Albert 
Clarke, secretary. 

USES OF THE FUNDS. 

After visiting the field the Commissioners decided, in view of 
the inadequacy of the fund to erect separate memorials for each of 
the eleven Vermont regiments and three detached companies from 
this State, engaged in the battle, that as the Vermont troops were 
in five bodies, there should be one State monument to commemorate 
them all, to stand on a conspicuous spot in the central position held 
by the Second Brigade, and four smaller monuments to mark the 
positions of the other organizations. This plan was carried into 
execution, and with very general satisfaction among the survivors 
of the fourteen organizations. 

The Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, being a 
chartered and permanent organization, had already secured loca- 
tions and opened roads along most of the positions held by the 
Union troops. They were (and are still) extending their posses- 
sions and improvements as fast as their means would permit. All 
the states which had made appropriations for sites for monuments 
had, after investigation, turned over the money to that Association. 
The Commission paid the Association $1,500, and took from it an 
agreement, which is published in the Report of 1888, to secure any 
sites needed, not already owned by the Association, and also to 
open and maintain roads to the same and to care for the monuments 
perpetually. 

After obtaining plans and submitting them to contractors for 
proposals, it became obvious that the fund was still insufficient for 



— 6 — 

monuments that would compare well with those of other states,, and 
it was decided to supplement it, by accepting such aid as might be 
tendered by patriotic and generous citizens. Contributions in money 
amounting to $3,188.50, and contributions in designs, material and 
labor, stated at $750.00, were made by private persons and gladly 
accepted by the Commission. A list of the donors appears in the 
appendix. There were, however, unavoidable delays in the execu- 
tion of the work, and meanwhile there had been such improvement 
in the monuments erected at Gettysburg by other states, that pub- 
lic opinion and the judgment of the Commissioners coincided in the 
adoption of plans which required more money still. The facts and 
designs were submitted to the General Assembly of 1888, and Gov- 
ernor Ormsbee, in his retiring message, said : 

" By an examination of the design [for the State monument] you 
"will see that it would be a much more perfect whole if surmounted 
"by a figure or statue, and there has been a very general expression 
"from many sources that this work might be crowned by a statue of 
"the late Gen. George J. Stannard. This would indeed be a most 
"fitting and grateful finish to this work of art and memorial of the 
"State to her soldier sons. 

"The work of the Commission, in reference to the four other 
"monuments which it decided to erect upon the field, is going for- 
" ward. To complete the work, including the statae as suggested, 
" will require in the aggregate about $8,000. I earnestly recommend 
" that you take such measures as will accord with the proverbial 
"patriotism of our people, and enable the Commission to finish this 
"work as well and completely as our soldiers did theirs." 

Governor Dillingham cordially concurred in this recommenda- 
tion. The Legislature made the appropriation as recommended, 
and added $1,000 to the amount, towards defraying the expenses of 
a suitable dedication. 



— 7 



THE STATE MONUMENT AND STANNARD STATUE. 

In pursuance of this new legislation, the Commissioners invited 
the submission of designs and proposals for a bronze statue of Gen- 
eral Stannard. Five artists, in different parts of the country, pre- 
sented designs for this statue, or specimens of their work, and 
proposals were received from several bronze founders for the casting. 

The Commissioners became favorably impressed with the work 
of Mr. Karl Gerhardt, of Hartford, Conn., whose equestrian statue 
of Gen. Israel Putnam, at Brooklyn, Conn., and statues of Josiah 
Bartlett at Amesbury, Mass., and of Gen. Warren, on Little 
Round Top at Gettysburg, had successfully passed the ordeal of 
high criticism and secured for the young sculptor valuable orders 
from other cities and states ; and as he also made the most satis- 
factory proposal for the model and bronze casting, a contract was 
closed with him on the 31st day of January, 1889. To make a 
heroic portrait statue for a monument 55 feet in height was a difficult 
task, and the difficulty was increased by the fact that no good pro- 
file photograph of the deceased General could be found. Members 
of the Commission inspected the work several times during the 
progress of modeling the statue, and finally a plaster cast of the 
head was taken by the artist to Burlington and shown to Mrs. 
Stannard and her daughters, who pronounced it an excellent por- 
trait. 

It is well known that General Stannard did not lose his right 
arm until some time after the battle of Gettysburg ; * but as this 
statue was designed to commemorate valor and typify sacrifice in 
the war as a whole, it was thought proper that the figure should 
be represented with an empty sleeve, as the hero appeared at the 
close of the war. 



*Gen. Stannard lost his right arm at Fort Harrison, Va., September 



— 8 — 

The statue was cast by the Henry Bonnard Bronze Company, of 
New York, and was inspected at their works and accepted after 
they had placed it upon the monument. 

As was anticipated, it adds finish and impressiveness to a 
beautiful structure, and the monument, as a whole, is the most 
classic, stately and commanding object on that portion of the field, 
if not upon the entire field. The Commissioners congratulate the 
State upon the good fortune which attended their contracts, through 
which the work was well executed at a cost far below the estimates 
of many good judges of such work, who have viewed the finished 
structure. 

THE FIRST BRIGADE MONUMENT. 

The figure of a lion, which symbolizes the character of the 
old First Brigade, was given a pose and expression by the artist, 
Mr. C. W. Reed, of Boston, which almost tells the story of the 
brigade's protection of the left flank of the army from an ex- 
pected attack, and shows its alertness and anxiety within hearing 
and easy reach of the terrific conflict of the third day of the battle, 
at its right and rear. No little difficulty was experienced in find- 
ing a sculptor capable of modeling this expressive figure, and will- 
ing to do it for such a sum as the Commissioners could pay. A 
modeler from Rome undertook it and failed. Finally two young- 
artists of Boston, Mr. Herbert W. Beattie and Mr. Richard E. 
Brooks, who had recently returned from their studies in Europe, 
successfully performed the task at their studio in South Quincy, 
Mass. Their model was not only faithful to the design, but it 
developed the anatomy of the figure much in the style of Barye, 
whose animal sculpture is such a striking feature of modern 
French art. It was seen by the critics and praised by nearly all the 
Boston newspapers, several of which devoted considerable space to 
descriptions of it, and to the story which it was intended to tell. 
One of these notices is given in the Appendix. 



— 9 — 

The model was reproduced in light Dummerston granite by 
Wallace and Willis Carrick, twin brothers, and members of the 
contracting company at St. Johnsbury, some of whose granite stat- 
uary had already attracted attention, notwithstanding their youth. 
They are entitled to a share of the credit for executing a work which 
has prominent mention in the guide books of Gettysburg and is 
spoken of by critics as one of the few genuine works of art upon the 
field. 

THE CAVALRY MONUMENT. 

By request of members of the Commission who served in the 
First Vermont Cavalry, the sum of $1,000 was turned over to the 
Vermont Cavalry Reunion Society, which prepared its own designs 
and contracted for the Cavalry Monument. This is a massive 
rectangular block of Barre granite, resting on a base of cut and 
rock-faced stone, and surmounted by a capstone bearing in front 
the badge of Sheridan's Cavalry Corps, and on the opposite face a 
medallion with crossed sabre and carbine. The monument marks 
the position where the charging squadrons encountered a most 
destructive converging fire, and near which their gallant leader in 
the charge, G-en. Farnsworth, was killed. It has been and still is in 
contemplation by the survivors of Farnsworth's brigade, to erect a 
Cavalry Brigade Monument on the line from which these heroic 
troopers made their famous charge. 

THE SHARPSHOOTER MONUMENTS. 

The monument to Company F, First Regiment U. S. Sharp- 
shooters, has the distinction of being the only white marble monu- 
ment on the field — the Battlefield Memorial Association having 
made an exception to its rule requiring monuments to be of either 
granite or bronze, on account of the excellent quality of the Rut- 
land marble. This monument stands to the west of the Emmitts- 
burg road, and is much visited and admired, not only for its intrinsic 



— 10 — 

beauty, but because its position, far in advance of the Union line, 
indicates service of especial danger and distinction. Not less notice- 
able is the massive granite monolith, rising from a base of the same 
material, which commemorates the service of Companies E. and H. 
of the Second U. S. Sharpshooters. The hornet's nest, in bas 
relief upon its front, is a unique feature and has given the monu- 
ment a name which causes it to be much visited. It recalls the 
story of the gallant stand made by this handful of men against the 
overwhelming advance of Law's brigade, an officer of which 
reported that they there "encountered a perfect hornet's nest of 
sharpshooters." The monument stands upon the Slyder farm, 
near the opening of the gorge of the "Devil's Den." 

THE MONUMENTS AS A WHOLE 

Mark all the important positions held by Vermont troops in the 
battle ; and the inscriptions, while necessarily limited by space and 
the rigid rules of the Battlefield Memorial Association to the simple 
facts of history without a word of praise, indicate the proud dis- 
tinction attained by the soldiers of Vermont at Gettysburg, and on 
so many other fields. The utmost care was taken in the prepara- 
tion, arrangement and cutting of these inscriptions, and they are 
believed to be free from errors of any kind. Being "the abstract 
and brief chronicle" of great events, they are here published in con- 
nection with cuts of the monuments, and no doubt they will be 
treasured in many a Vermont home. 



— 11 



FINANCIAL STATEMENT. 

RECEIPTS : 

Appropriations of 1886 $ 9,000 00 

"1888 9,000 00 

Contributions. . . 3,913 50 

Interest on Deposits 133 10 

$22,046 60 

EXPENDITURES : 

Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association $ 1,500 00 

State Monument and Statue... .. 11,750 00 

First Brigade Monument 1,303 00 

Cavalry Monument (paid Cavalry Association) 1,000 00 

Company F. 1st U. S. Sharpshooters' Monument 1,200 00 

Companies E. and H. , 2nd U. S. S. Monument 800 00 

Drawings, Photographs and Plates ... 347 10 

Telegraphing, Express, Postage and Stationery, Secretary's 

Office 39 86 

Stenographers . 104 85 

Advertising and Papers 6 75 

Services of Secretary . . 200 00 

Travelling and incidental Expenses of Commissioners 1,140 98 

Expenses of Dedication . . 1,027 93 

Cost of Printing and Distributing Reports 258 10 

$20,678 57 



12 



A RECOMMENDATION. 

Thus, after all bills were paid, inclusive of the printing of this 
Report, the sum of $1,368.03 was left in the hands of the Com- 
mission, and has been turned over to the State Treasurer. 

Application was made to the Commission last year for a further 
grant to the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association. It was 
urged in behalf of that Association that it has incurred large expense 
in opening roads to the sites of three of the Vermont monuments ; 
and that Vermont's contribution of $1,500 was smaller in propor- 
tion to the number of its organizations engaged in the battle than 
those of other States. It was also represented that the Association 
will soon erect a magnificent bronze memorial at what is known as 
"the high- water mark" of the battle, bearing a record of the action 
of the organizations which repulsed Pickett's charge, in which 
three of Vermont's regiments will have a place. Eor this special 
object liberal appropriations have already been made by most of the 
States whose troops were there engaged. In view of the needs of 
the Battlefield Memorial Association, of the great work it has done 
and is doing, of the future care of the monuments to which it is 
pledged, and of the evident justice of the claim above stated, it 
was unanimously voted by the Commissioners at their last meeting 
to recommend to the Legislature to grant to said Association $1,000 
of this surplus fund. 



— 13 — 

m CONCLUSION, 

The Commissioners wish to express their gratitude for the cordial 
and generous support which they have received from the Legisla- 
ture and people of Vermont and the contributors to their fund ; for 
the co-oporation of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Associa- 
tion ; and for hospitable greetings from the authorities and people 
of Gettysburg and the State of Pennsylvania. 
By authority of the Commission, 

EBENEZER J. ORMSBEE, Chairman. 

ALBERT CLARKE, Secretary. 
Montpelier, Oct. 20, 1890. 



15 



Inscriptions on the State Monuments. 
(west face) 
[STATE COAT OF ARMS.] 

VERMONT 

IN HONOR OF HER SONS 

WHO FOUGHT ON THIS FIELD. 



(NORTH FACE) 

FIRST VERMONT BRIGADE : 

SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, FIBTH 

AND SIXTH REGIMENTS, 

BRIG. GEN. L A. GRANT, COMMANDING: 

SECOND BRIGADE, SECOND DIVISION, SIXTH CORPS. 



The Brigade reached the field 

near Little Round Top in the afternoon 

of July 2, 1863, by a forced march of 

thirty-two miles, and soon after 

was assigned to the left union flank, 

where it held a line from the summit of 

Round Top to the Taneytown Road 

until the close of the battle. 



(EAST FACE) 

SECOND VERMONT BRIGADE : 

TWELFTH, THIRTEENTH, FOURTEENTH, 

FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH REGIMENTS ; 

BRIG. GEN. GEORGE J. STANNARD, COMMANDING ; 

THIRD BRIGADE, THIRD DIVISION, FIRST CORPS. 

The Brigade arrived on Cemetery Hill, July, 1863. The Twelfth and 
Fifteenth Regiments were detached to guard the Corps trains. About sun- 
set, July 2, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Sixteenth moved to this part of 
the field, re-took Battery C, Fifth U. S., and re-established the Union line. 

July 3, these Regiments held the front line in advance of this spot. In 
the crisis of the day, the Thirteenth and Sixteenth changed front, and ad- 
vancing 200 yards to the right, assaulted the flank of Pickett's Division. 
The Sixteenth then moved back 400 yards to the left and charged the flank 
of Wilcox's and Perry's Brigades. The Fourteenth supported these charges. 
The Brigade captured three flags and many prisoners. 



(SOUTH FACE) 

FIRST VERMONT CAVALRY : 
FIRST BRIGADE, THIRD DIVISION, CAVALRY CORPS. 



This Regiment fought Stuart's Cavalry at 

Hanover, June 30, 1863, opposed Hampton's Cavalry 

at hunterstown, july 2, and charged through the 

First Texas Infantry and upon the line of Law's 

Brigade at the foot of Round Top, July 3. 

VERMONT SHARPSHOOTERS : 
CO. F, FIRST U. S. S.; CO'S E AND H, SECOND U. S. S. 
SECOND BRIGADE, FIRST DIVISION, THIRD CORPS. 



July 2, Company F aided in checking the advance 
of Wilcox's Brigade west of Seminary Ridge. 

Companies E and H resisted Law's Brigade 

west of Devil's Den and upon the Round Tops. 

July 3, the three companies took part 

in the repulse of pickett's charge. 



15 



Inscriptions on the State Monuments. 
(west face) 
[STATE COAT OF ARMS.] 

VERMONT 

IN HONOR OF HER SONS 

WHO FOUGHT ON THIS FIELD. 



(NORTH FACE) 

FIRST VERMONT BRIGADE : 

SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH 

AND SIXTH REGIMENTS, 

BRIG. GEN. L A. GRANT, COMMANDING: 

SECOND BRIGADE, SECOND DIVISION, SIXTH CORPS. 

The Brigade reached the field 

near Little Round Top in the afternoon 

of July 2, 1863, by a forced march of 

thirty-two miles, and soon after 

was assigned to the left Union flank, 

where it held a line from the summit of 

Round Top to the Taneytown Road 

until the close of the battle. 



(EAST FACE) 

SECOND VERMONT BRIGADE : 

TWELFTH, THIRTEENTH, FOURTEENTH, 

FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH REGIMENTS; 

BRIG. GEN. GEORGE J. STANNARD, COMMANDING ; 

THIRD BRIGADE, THIRD DIVISION, FIRST CORPS. 

The Brigade arrived on Cemetery Hill, July, 1863. The Twelfth and 
Fifteenth Regiments were detached to guard the Corps trains. About sun- 
set, July 2, the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Sixteenth moved to this part of 
the field, re-took Battery C, Fifth U. S., and re-established the Union line. 

July 3, these Regiments held the front line in advance of this spot. In 
the crisis of the day, the Thirteenth and Sixteenth changed front, and ad- 
vancing 200 yards to the right, assaulted the flank of Pickett's Division. 
The Sixteenth then moved back 400 yards to the left and charged the flank 
of Wilcox's and Perry's Brigades. The Fourteenth supported these charges. 
The Brigade captured three flags and many prisoners. 



(SOUTH FACE) 

FIRST VERMONT CAVALRY : 
FIRST BRIGADE, THIRD DIVISION, CAVALRY CORPS. 



This Regiment fought Stuart's Cavalry at 

Hanover, June 30, 1863, opposed Hampton's Cavalry 

at hunterstown, july 2, and charged through the 

First Texas Infantry and upon the line of Law's 

Brigade at the foot of Round Top, July 3. 

VERMONT SHARPSHOOTERS: 
CO. F, FIRST U. S. S.; CO'S E AND H, SECOND U. S. S. 
SECOND BRIGADE, FIRST DIVISION, THIRD CORPS. 



July 2, Company F aided in checking the advance 
of Wilcox's Brigade west of Seminary Ridge. 

Companies E and H resisted Law's Brigade 

west of Devil's Den and upon the Round Tops. 

July 3, the three companies took part 

in the repulse of pickett's charge. 



16 — 




Inscriptions on the Monument to the First Brigade : 

(right side) 

FIRST VERMONT BRIGADE : 

SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH AND SIXTH REGIMENTS 

SECOND BRIGADE, SECOND DIVISION, SIXTH CORPS. 



Organized in the summer of 1861, by Major General WilJiam F. Smith, 
and commanded by Brig. Gen. W. T. H. Brooks and Brig, and Brevet Maj. 
Gen. L. A. Grant, this Brigade fought in whole or part with the Army of 
the Potomac from the First Bull Run to Appomattox. Aggregating — 
including the Eleventh regiment, for a year part of the Brigade, — 11,137 
officers and men, it gave 2,439 lives to the Union cause, 

Killed and mortally wounded in action, 1128 ; died of disease and by 
accident, 1009 : died in Confederate prisons, 302; wounded, not mortally, 
2265 ;— total, 4704. 

(LEFT SIDE) 

Reaching this field, by a forced march of thirty-two miles, in the even- 
ing of July 2d, the Brigade took position on the left Union flank, near this 
point, in anticipation of an attack by the enemy, and held the same July 3d 
and 4th. 



First Bull Run. Rapphannock Station. 

Lee's Mill. Wilderness. 

Williamsburg. Spottsylvania. 

Golding's Farm. Cold Harbor. 

Savage's Station. Petersburg, June 18, '64. 

White Oak Swamp. Ream's Station. 

Crampton's Pass. Weldon Railroad. 

Antietam. Charlestown. 
Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, '62 Opequon. 

Marye's Heights. Fisher's Hill. 

Salem Heights. Cedar Creek. 
Fredericksburg, June 5, '63. Petersburg, March 25, '65. 

Gettysburg. Petersburg, April 2, '65. 

Funkstown. Sailor's Creek. 



IS 




— 19 



Inscriptions on Cavalry Monument. 

(FRONT) 

FIRST VERMONT CAVALRY, 
FIRST BRIGADE, THIRD DIVISION, CAVALRY CORPS. 



Entered the United States service Nov. 19, 1861. Mustered out 
Aug. 9, 1865. Took part in the battles of Gettysburg, Wilderness, 
Yellow Tavern, Winchester, Cedar Creek, Waynsboro, Five Forks, 
Appomattox Station, and 67 other battles and engagements. Aggre- 
gate, 2297 officers and men. Killed and mortally wounded in 
action, 102 ; died of disease and by accidents, 123 ; died in confede- 
RATE prisons, 172 ;— total, 397. Total wounded in action, 275. 



(REAR) 

In the Gettysburg campaign, this regiment fought Stuart's cav- 
alry at Hanover, Pa., June 30, and at Hunterstown, July 2 ; and on 
this field, July 3, led by Gen. Elon J. Farnsworth, who fell near 
this spot, charged through the flrst texas infantry and to the 
line of Law's Brigade, receiving the fire of five Confederate regi- 
ments AND TWO BATTERIES, AND LOSING 67 MEN. 



20 





TW STATE ©F 

fERMOIfflr 

TO TOE OFFICERSTOD MEN OF 

CO. F, 




— 21 



Inscriptions on Monument to Co. F, U. S. S. 

(FRONT) 

THE STATE OF 

VERMONT 

TO THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF 

CO. F, 

1st U. S. SHARPSHOOTERS, 

2nd BRIG., 1st DIV., 3rd CORPS. 



(right face) 

Engaged at this point on the Morning 

of July 2, 1863 ; 

On Cemetery Ridge at 2 o'clock 

p. m. July 3 ; on the Skirmish Line 

near the peach orchard, july 4. 

Present for duty, 44 

Killed, 1 

Wounded, 4 



(LEFT FACE) 

CO. F, 

FIRST U. S. SHARPSHOOTERS. 

Organized in Vermont in 1861 ; 

Assigned to 3d Corps, 1862 ; 

To 5th Corps, April, 1862 ; 

To 3d Corps, 1863, 

And to 2d Corps, 







(REAR) 








BATTLES : 




YORKTOWN, 




Antietam, 


Wilderness, 


Hanover, C. H., 




Fredericksburg, 


Todd's Tavern, 


MECH ANICSVILLE , 




Chancellorsville, 


Spottsylvania 


Gaines' Mill, 




Gettysburg, 


Cold Harbor, 


Malvern Hill, 




Kelly's Ford, 


Petersburg, 


Second Bull Run, 




Locust Grove, 


Weldon R. R., 




And 


MANY MINOR ENGAGEMENTS. 




Total Number of men Enlisted, 


177. 


Killed 


> 




32. 


Wounded, 




45. 


Total, 






77. 



22 




23 



Inscriptions on Monument to Co.'s E and H, U. S. S. 

(front) 

COMPANIES E AND H, 

SECOND UNITED STATES SHARPSHOOTERS ; 

SECOND BRIGADE, FIRST DIVISION, THIRD CORPS. 



Arrived on the field July 1 at 6 p. m. July 2, met the onset of 
Longstreet's Corps near this point and helped to check its advance 
upon Round Top. July 3, reinforced the front lines in the repulse 
of Pickett's assault ; July 4, skirmished all day along the Emmitts- 
burg road. 

Number engaged, 48 ; wounded, 9 ; captured, 6. 



(REAR) 

Organized in November and December, 1861, and aggregating 430 
officers and men, these companies took part in the battles of 
Orange Court House, Rappahannock Station, Sulphur Springs, 
Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chan- 

CELLORSVILLE, GETTYSBURG, WaPPING'S HEIGHTS, AUBURN, Va., KELLY'S 

Ford, Brandy Station, Orange Grove, Mine Run, Wilderness, Po 
River, Spottsylvania, North Anna, Totopotomoy; Cold Harbor, Pe- 
tersburg, June 16, '64, Deep Bottom, Petersburg, Sept. 10, '64, 
Boydton Plank Road, Weldon Railroad and Hatcher's Run. Con- 
solidated with the Fourth Vermont, Feb. 25, 1865, these companies 
served with that regiment to the close of the war. 

Killed and mortally wounded, 40 ; wounded, 90. Mustered out 
July, 1865. 



24: 



DEDICATION OF THE MONUMENTS. 

The monuments were dedicated with impressive public exer- 
cises on Wednesday, Oct. 9th, 1889. Favorable excursion rates 
over the railroads were secured by the Commission, and a large 
number of the veterans and citizens of Vermont showed their 
interest in the occasion by taking the journey from Vermont to 
Gettysburg. On the 8th a special train of thirteen cars, bearing- 
some five hundred Vermonters, left Jersey City and arrived at 
Gettysburg the same evening. " Vermont Day" at Gettys- 
burg opened with clear skies and cool air. The following appoint- 
ments had been made : 

Officers of the Day : 

President, Ex-Gov. E. J. Ormsbee, Chairman of the Vermont Gettysburg 

Commission. 
Chaplain, Rev. Wm. S. Smart, D. D. , of Albany, N. Y. 
Marshal, Colonel Thomas O. Seaver of Woodstock. 
Assistant Marshals, Major Cornelius H. Forbes, Henry O. Clark. 

THE PROCESSION. 

The procession was formed on the city square at 10 o'clock 
a. m., and moved to the battlefield in the following order : 

Marshal and Aids. 

Gettysburg Grand Army Band. 

Vermont Veterans on foot, escorting the National and State Officials and 

guests. 
Governor and State Officers of Vermont, the Secretary of War and Staff 
Officers, the Orator of the Day, Chaplain, Monument Commissioners, 
Officers of the Battlefield Association, Generals who commanded Ver- 
mont troops in the War of the Rebellion, and other distinguished guests, 

in carriages. 

Citizens on foot. 

A stand suitably decorated with the national colors had been 
erected near the State Monument, upon Hancock avenue. The die of 
the monument, which lifted its tall and graceful shaft high into the 
air above, bore on its front wreaths of laurel, ivy and roses, the 
gift of the Vermont Veterans' Association of Boston. Upon the 
arrival of the procession, the stand was occupied by Governor 



Dillingham, Secretary of War Redfield Proctor, Senator Edmunds, 
Ex-Governors Ormsbee and Barstow, Judge "W. G. Yeazey of the 
Interstate Commerce Commission, Lieut. Governor U. A. Wood- 
bury, State Treasurer W. H. Dubois, Secretary of State C. W. 
Porter, State Auditor E. H. Powell, Adjutant General T. S..Peck, 
Quartermaster General W. H. Gilmore, Hon. J. G. McCullough, 
Gen. W. Y. W Ripley, Gen. E. H. Ripley, Prof. J. W. Churchill, 
two of the daughters of Gen. Stannard — Mrs. W. L. Stone and Miss 
Katharine Stannard, Col. John B. Bachelder, President H. W. 
McKnight of Pennsylvania College, Lieutenants G. W. Hooker and 
G. G. Benedict of Gen. StannarcFs Staff, and other prominent 
citizens. The wives of many of the gentlemen named were also 
seated upon the stand. The audience, of Vermonters and citizens 
of other States, were grouped in front. 

THE PUBLIC EXERCISES. 

President Ormsbee called the assemblage to order and the Ex- 
ercises of the occasion opened with an appropriate prayer by the 
Chaplain of the day, Rev. Dr. Smart. 

The monuments was then presented to the Battlefield Memo- 
rial Association, by Gov. Dillingham. 

GOVERNOR DILLINGHAM'S ADDRESS. 



Gentlemen of the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association : 

As we assemble here to-day, and in the afterlight of a quarter 
century consider the character of the late conflict between opposing 
sections of our beloved country, and remember that upon this field 
the greatest battle of the war was fought, in the result of which 
more than any other, interests were involved affecting not only the 
integrity of our Union but the maintenance of free institutions the 
world over, we are awed by a sense of its importance as an incident 
in the world's history, and are filled with devout thanksgiving that 
in the time of greatest need our country had defenders who, appre- 
ciating the value of their heritage, were invincible in their purpose 
to preserve the liberties bequeathed to them by their fathers. 

The contest here waged was between the spirit of freedom and 
the spirit of oppression, and the success of a century of effort in the 



— 26 — 

cause of human rights depended in a large measure upon its results. 
In it the sons of Vermont had a conspicuous part and contributed 
in a signal degree to the glorious result. Inheriting the courage of 
those who fought with Allen and Warner, possessing the intense 
love of liberty that has been the heritage of our people, representing 
a State that in its birth was dedicated to freedom and whose history 
was an inspiration to high purposes and heroic deeds, and believing 
that the strength and safety of our free institutions rested in the 
maintenance of a union between all the States, they were found 
where the battle was the hottest, striking blows for liberty, and they 
saw the opposing host surge back defeated never again to approach 
so near the goal of their misguided ambition. 

In grateful recognition of their services, Vermont has raised 
this monument to commemorate the valor of all her sons who served 
upon this field, and has erected others to indicate the spots where 
they were engaged. 

May the memories they arouse be a hallowed influence in the 
lives of all who shall in future years visit this spot, inspiring senti- 
ments of intense loyalty to country and devotion to constitutional 
liberty. 

Gentlemen: The pleasant duty is mine, in behalf of the State 
of Vermont, to commit these monuments to the care of the patriotic 
organization which you so worthily represent. 

Judge Wheelock G. Veasey, in behalf of the Gettysburg Battle- 
field Memorial Association, of which he is a member, accepted the 
monuments, in the following words : 

COL. VEAZEY'S ADDEESS. 



When the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association invited 
Vermont, in common with other states, to erect monuments on 
this field in honor of her sons who fought here, it impliedly pledged 
itself to become the guardian of such monuments. In pursuance 
of that implied pledge this Association now cheerfully renews the 
same in express terms, and accepts the trust, in full appreciation of 
the responsibility which it incurs. 

Having myself been one of the Vermont commissioners who 
acted for the State in the work of selecting and deciding upon de- 
signs, preparing inscriptions, contracting for the execution, and 
settling the question of location of the five monuments which 
Vermont this day dedicates, it would be unbecoming in me to speak 
in any personal sense of the quality or appropriateness of these 
structures, or of the honorable and important service which the men 
performed on the different parts of this great field, in memory of 



whom and of their deeds these structures are erected. But the 
directors of this Association have selected me from their number to 
speak officially for them today,, and have directed me to say in their 
behalf that they have noted from first to last the patient acquiescence 
of the Vermont Commission in those restrictive rules and regulations, 
especially as to material, location and inscriptions, which the Associa- 
tion had adopted for general application, though the necessity and 
wisdom of them would not be easily apparent to persons not famil- 
iar with the causes that made such rules a necessity. The directors 
desire to express their appreciation and gratitude for the intelligent 
consideration which the Commission from Vermont has always ex- 
hibited in all correspondence and negotiations between them. 

The directors further advise me to say that, in accepting this 
trust, they recognize the high quality of the service which was per- 
formed by the various Vermont organizations at vital points of the 
battle, and the excellence and appropriateness of the structures 
erected to commemorate that service and the men who performed 
it. They recognize that a State whose military force was so nearly 
wholly engaged in this battle, as was that of Vermont, should have 
a monument here not limited to single organizations, but dedicated 
to the honor of all. 

Within a short radius from one spot on this extended battle 
field, many things occurred of the greatest historic interest and im- 
portance. It was here that the battle culminated at the close of 
three days of fierce and desperate conflict. It was here that history 
has recorded that the rebellion touched its high water mark, and in 
the sense intended by the statement it is a true record. It was here 
that Hancock and Stannard stood on the extreme front of the 
Union lines, until they received the ugly wounds that nearly cost 
them their lives; and even then refused to be taken from the field 
until the shouts of victory rang from Cemetery Hill to Round Top. 
It was here that the Second Vermont brigade stood in what turned 
out to be the pivotal point of the battle, several rods to the front 
of the general battle line, and in the gap between Pickett and 
Wilcox, and swung first to the right and charged into the flank of 
Pickett's division, and then swung back to the left and charged into 
the flank of Wilcox. It was in this last movement by the sturdy 
sons of Vermont that the final desperate onset of the enemy in this 
momentous battle was crushed. 

The directors of the Association concurred with the Commis- 
sion that this was the one spot where Vermont's monument should 
stand. Copied as it was after a model which Grecian genius pro- 
duced two thousand years ago, and which has stood the test of the 
centuries since as the most perfect model of monumental architec- 
ture; built of solid granite, taken from the same Green Mountains 
that bristled with thinking bayonets when rebellion threatened the 



— 28 — 

nation's life; surmounted by the figure in bronze of Vermont's great 
volunteer soldier, overlooking the field of his most brilliant achiev- 
ment, with the same calm, but determined expression that was on 
his face when he saw the great charging column steadily moving 
down upon his little command, and when he seized, as with the 
inspiration of genius, the advantage which his position afforded ; the 
directors recognize that this structure fittingly and nobly com- 
memorates the men in whose honor it is erected, and appreciate 
the high duty resting upon the Association to preserve it in its 
beauty and glory. 

The directors also desire me to say that in like degree do they 
recognize their duty as to the other monuments which Vermont has 
erected in especial honor and commemoration of the several organ- 
izations of the State respectively, on other parts of this memorable 
field. 

From the summit of Round Top to the Taneytown Pike, guard- 
ing the left flank of the army, and at the same time within ready 
call of any other portion of the line, as a reserve, was the position 
of the First Vermont brigade, whose history is commensurate with 
that of the Potomac army, and whose fame is unsurpassed in mili- 
tary annals. On that line, on the avenue bearing the name of theii 
corps commander, the great Sedgwick, is the lion in granite, a fit- 
ting type of the courage and quality of the brigade, aroused by the 
noise of the battle, and ready to spring on the prey that should 
venture to cross its path. 

In front of Round Top the First Vermont cavalry followed the 
heroic Farnsworth in that reckless, but most gallant, charge upon 
the lines of Law's infantry brigade; a charge as certainly into the 
jaws of death as that of the cavalry at Balaklava, but most import- 
ant, and perhaps absolutely essential, as a flank movement to relieve 
the pressure on the left centre, upon which Pickett's and the other 
divisions of Longstreet's corps were making their renowned charges. 
This is the well selected location for a monument to the brave riders 
in eighty-six battles and engagements of the war in which they 
participated. 

Away to the front, beyond Seminary Ridge, from which the 
enemy made his famous assaults on the second and third days of 
the battle, a Vermont company in the First regiment of United 
States Sharpshooters, discovered and developed the movement of 
Longstreet to gain the Round Tops and turn the Union left flank, on 
the second day of the battle, and, with their comrades of that regi- 
ment, delayed the movement by skillful and hard fighting, until 
dispositions were made by Gen. Sickles to meet it. On that extreme 
front fittingly stands an elegant marble column to tell the story to 
generations to come of the gallant and important service of these 
brave riflemen. 



— 29 — 

Between that and the cavalry monument, near the Slyder House, 
another historic point of this field, two other companies of Vermont 
Sharpshooters, in the Second regiment of that famous command, 
first received the advance of Longstreet's corps, as it swept like a 
tornado from the crest of Seminary Ridge into the ravine between the 
Round Tops, which has been appropriately designated as the "Devil's 
Den/' and there those skilled marksmen clung with such pertinacity 
and until so enveloped by the foe on front and flanks, as to have 
acquired for the place the sobriquet of the "hornet's nest." There, 
carved in granite, a hornet's nest, with appropriate inscriptions, 
silently but potently tells the story of heroic duty, for this little 
force of determined patriots. 

Speaking for the directors, whom I now represent, these brief 
allusions are made that the representatives of the Green Mountain 
State may know that the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Associa- 
tion has not overlooked the fact that the descendants of Allen and 
Warner and the other heroes who held our mountain fastnesses in 
the stormy days of the revolution, made on this field one of the 
grandest pages of American history; and that it is in full appreciation 
of this fact that the Association accepts the sacred trust now reposed 
in it by the noble State that never failed in patriotic duty. 

When Col. Veazey had finished, the band played the Star Span- 
gled Banner, after which Senator Edmunds delivered the oration of 
the day. 

SENATOR EDMUNDS'S ORATION. 

Fellow Citizens: 

To-day, on a battle-field in the great State founded by William 
Penn,the foremost man of peace, we dedicate the monument our small 
and distant State, the child of war, erects to the memory of her 
soldiers, who shared somewhat conspicuously in the great and de- 
cisive battle that in 1863, very near the anniversary of the founding 
of the republic, was fought to victory for liberty and law along the 
now sunny and silent vales and hillsides where it stands, among 
many similar memorials, pars inter pares. 

In the great drama of the world's progress, scenes and char- 
acters change rapidly. The time is not far past — a mere span in 
the history of civilization, when the fair landscapes we now behold 
filled with homes of an intelligent, free and prosperous people, were 
part of a vast wilderness of forests, desolate in everything save the 
untouched exuberance of nature and the presence of the savage and 
nomadic Indian. A little later the Anglo-Saxon came and the 
forests and the Indian gave way to the slow advance of farms and 
shops, of churches and of schools. A little later these young socie- 



— 30 — 

ties were engaged in a mortal struggle of arms to relieve them- 
selves from tyranny and oppression, and to establish for themselves 
and their posterity forever a government in which the security 
of private property, personal liberty, and freedom of thought 
and speech should be the corner-stones — a commonwealth 
of equal rights in union with other commonwealths, and 
a union of the people of all in a nation. All these transitions 
were, though rapid when seen in the perspective of history, slow, 
painful and costly in detail ; the hardships of immigration and 
pioneer life, the dangers and disasters from hostile savages, the 
jealousies and feuds of personal ambition and discontent, touched 
somewhere almost daily, the life of the colonial period ; — the strug- 
gles of inexperienced, ill-clothed, and ill-fed and poorly armed 
soldiers, made still more difficult by the want of real unity and con- 
fidence between the new-born States of the Confederation, character- 
ized the war period of the Eevolution ; and the re-formation of the 
government, when independence of the British crown had been 
achieved, into a government of the people as well as of the States, 
with the adjustment of boundaries, debts and taxation, marked the 
period of the early years of our established republic as one of the 
most critical that had yet appeared in the history of the continent. 
At last the hopes of patriots began to be realized, and the several 
States of the perfected union entered upon a career of development 
and prosperity in the proportion — and no other — to the funda- 
mental principles and practice upon which the State governments 
were founded and carried on. 

The States in which equal laws were equally administered for 
the preservation of the just liberties and equal rights of all the 
people far outstripped those in which slavery was a feature of the 
social and political system, in every element and step of civilized 
progress. 

The inevitable culmination of these politically connected but 
hostile social systems came in the rebellion of 1861. It lasted long 
enough, under the Providence of God, to enable the friends of lib- 
erty for all the human race to eradicate by just and lawful means 
the crime and curse of slavery from its place — secure before — in the 
governmental systems of all the States that still continued it, and to 
put all the people of all the States upon the common footing of equal 
civil and political rights. Thenceforth, there must be in law, and 
might and ought to be in practice, one people, and a union of 
States whose laws in respect of intrinsic human rights, which our 
declaration of independence asserted, were everywhere alike. 

The immediate origin of the rebellion is familiar to us all. 
The slave-holding States repudiated the confessedly fair and con- 
stitutional election of a president who believed in liberty for all, 
and who, it was certain, would not promote the interests of a slave 



— 31 — 

system, or defend them beyond such clear line of duty as the con- 
stitution imposed upon him. On this ground and this alone the 
rebellion — under the false name of secession — which President Jack- 
son had obliterated 30 years before, was inaugurated and carried on. 
It was unique. I believe such a rebellion was without a precedent 
or parallel in any country at any time. In the abundance of strug- 
gles against the constituted authority of states and kings, I am sure 
none can be found in which the effort was to overthrow a govern- 
ment devoted to lawful liberty and to build one whose chief corner 
stone and whose sole reason to be, was the preservation and mainte- 
nance of human bondage. 

It was to defend and maintain the national government against 
such an assault that our citizen soldiers, — as well as the brave and 
patriotic of other States — left their avocations of peace in farm and 
shop and store, in school and office and pulpit, and came to this and 
many other fields of conflict, and gave their lives to a cause that 
can never become unworthy or obsolete, and won a wreath of honor 
that can never fade. 

But even now, after a quarter of a century, it is apparent that 
the full and final benefit and beneficence of the great sacrifice is 
not yet reached. In many of the old slave-holding commonwealths 
there has existed, and continues to be methodically practiced, a sys- 
tematized repression of the liberated race and of those white citizens 
who defend its rights of free speech and lawful voting, and which 
not only robs the citizens of all other States of the full weight of 
their just and lawful influence in the legislation of the countiy, 
but which, in its various forms of fraud, tyranny, violence and 
cruelty, sets at naught those essential principles of social order and 
morality, without the practice of which no free and Christian 
society can exist. These things affect the welfare and the true life 
of every part of the republic ; and it is the duty of every citizen of 
whatever race, creed or party, to exert himself to bring them to an 
end. Until secure and peaceful freedom and equality, both politi- 
cal and civil, come to every citizen of every State, these monuments 
will not have shown their full and true significance. 

I am not reviving what flippant and wily politicians are so fond 
of calling " the bitterness and hatreds of the war." There never 
have been any such sentiments in the hearts of the citizens who 
stood for the unity of their country, other or further than an intense 
dislike of a rebellion prosecuted for the perpetuation of human 
slavery, and the hatred, then and now, of cruelty, tyranny and op- 
pression. I pray that such sentiments may continue earnest and 
active in the hearts and minds of men, for they are inseparable from 
the love of truth and justice and liberty. It was the inspiration of 
such sentiments that led the Vermonters and the patriots of other 
States to this great battlefield, and our memorial to them will not 



— 32 — 

be complete until such sentiments are realized in the fullest sense 
in every part of the republic. 

To the memory of those of our own citizens who fell here in the 
critical battle of the war, of those who fell on the other fields, of 
those who perished in the line of duty anywhere, and to the honor 
of those who still survive the great contest, our sturdy and stead- 
fast State erects this shaft, formed from the granite of her own 
Green Mountains and surmounted by the bronze image of one of her 
heroic sons who commanded her troops on this field. Long may it 
stand secure, with its associated monuments, not only as a memorial 
of heroic deeds for liberty and justice and true republican govern- 
ment, but as an ms}Diration to us and to all who shall come after us 
in future time, to devote themselves, against whatever temptations 
and in spite of whatever peril or adversity, to the defence and ex- 
tension of liberty, justice and equal rights among men. Thus there 
will be always for our country — and we may hope in the not far 
future for every other — a career whose ways are ways of pleasantness 
and all whose paths are peace. 

The speakers were listened to with marked attention and 
they were frequently interrupted by applause. 

The poem by Mrs. Julia C. E. Dorr of Eutland, was then read 
by Professor James W. Churchill of Andover, Mass. 

GETTYSBURG— 1863-1889. 



BY JULIA C. R. DORR. 



I. 

Brothers, is this the spot ? 
Let the drums cease to beat: 
Let the tread of marching feet, 
With the clash and clang of steel 
And the trumpet's long appeal, 
(Cry of joy and sob of pain 
In its passionate refrain) 

Cease awhile, 

Nor beguile 
Thoughts that would rehearse the story 
Of the past's remembered glory: — 
Thoughts that would revive to-day 
Stern War's rude, imperious sway,— 
Waken battle's fiery glow, 
With its ardor and its woe, 
With its wild, exulting thrills, 
With the rush of mighty wills, 
And the strength to do and dare: — 
Born of passion and of prayer ! 



33 



II. 

Let the present fade away, 
And the splendors of to-day ; 
For our hearts within us burn 
As our glances backward turn. 
What rare memories awaken 
As the tree of life is shaken, 
And its storied branches blow 
In the winds of long ago ! 
Do ye not remember, brothers, 
Ere the war days how t'was said 
Grand, heroic days were over 
And proud chivalry was dead ? 
Still we saw the glittering lances 
Gleaming through the old romances, 
Still beheld the watch-fires burning 
On the cloudy heights of Time ; 

And from fields that they had won 
When the stormy fight was done 
Saw victorious knights returning 
Flushed with triumph's joy sublime ! 
For the light of song and story 
Kindled with supernal glory 
Plains where ancient heroes fought ; 
And illumined, with a splendor 
Rare and magical and tender, 
All the mighty deeds they wrought. 
But we thought the sword of battle, 
Long unused, had lost its glow, 
And the sullen war-gods slumbered 
Where their altar-fires burned low ! 

III. 

Was the nation dull and sodden, 

Buried in material things ? 
'Twas the chrysalis awaiting 

The sure stirring of its wings ! 
For when rang the thrilling war-cry 

Over all the startled land, 
And the fiery cross of battle, 

Flaming, sped from hand to hand 
Then how fared it, O my brothers ? 

Were men false or craven then 
Did they falter? 
Did they palter ? 
Did they question why or when ? 
Oh, the story shall be told 
Until earth itself is old ; 
How from mountain and from glen 
More than thrice ten thousand men 
Heard the challenge of the foe, 
Heard the nation's cry of woe, 
Heard the summoning to arms, 
And the battle's loud alarms ! 
In tumultuous surprise, 
Lo, their answer rent the skies ; 



— 34: — 

And its quick and strong heart-thrills 

Eocked the everlasting hills ! 

Forth from blossoming fields they sped 

To the fields with carnage red ; 

Left the plowshare standing still, 

Left the bench, the forge, the mill, 

Left the quiet walks of trade 

And the quarry's marble shade, 

Left the pulpit and the court, 

Careless ease and idle sport, 

Left the student's cloistered halls 

In the old, gray college walls, 

Left young love-dreams, dear and sweet, 

War's stern front, unblenched to meet ! 

Oh, the strange and sad amaze 

Of those unforgotten days. 

When the boys whom we had guided, 

Nursed and loved, caressed and chided, 

Suddenly, as in a night, 

Sprang to manhood's proudest height ; 

And with calmly smiling lips, 

As who life's rarest goblet sips, 

Dauntless, with unhurried breath, 

Marched to danger and death ! 

IV. 

Soldiers, is this the spot ? 
Fair the scene is, calm and fair, 
In this still October air ; — 
Far blue hills look gently down 
On the happy tranquil town, 
And the ridges nearer by 
Steeped in autumn sunshine lie. 
Laden orchards, smiling fields, 
Eich in all that nature yields, 
Bright streams winding in and out 
Fertile meadows round about, 
Lowing herds and hum of bee, 
Birds that flit from tree to tree, 
Children's voices ringing clear, 
All we touch or see or hear, 
— Fruit of gold in silver set — 
Tell of joy and peace. And yet — 

Soldiers, is this the spot 

That can never be forgot ? 
Was it here that shot and shell 
Poured as from the mouth of hell, 
Drenched the shrinking, trembling plain 
With a flood of fiery rain ? 
Was it here the awful wonder 
Of the cannon's crashing thunder 
Shook the affrighted hills, and made 
Even the stolid rocks afraid? 
Was it here an armed host, 

Like two clouds where lightnings play, 
Or two oceans, tempest tossed, 

Clashed and mingled in the fray ? 
Here that 'mid the din and smoke, 



35 



Roar of guns and sabre stroke, 
Tramp of furious steeds, where moan 
Horse and rider, both o'erthrown, 
Lurid fires and battle yell. 
Forty thousand brave men fell ? 
V. 

O brothers, words are weak ! 
What tongue shall dare to speak ? 
Even song itself grows dumb 
In this high presence.— Come 
Forth, ye whose ashes lie 
Under this arching sky ! 
Speak ye in accents clear, 
Words that we fain would hear ! 
Tell us when your dim eyes, 
Holy with sacrifice, 
Looked through the battle smoke 

Up to the skies : — 
Tell us, ye valiant dead, 
When your souls star ward fled, 
How from the portals far 
Where the immortals are, 
Chieftains and vikings old, 
Heroes and warriors bold, 
Men whom old Homer sung, 
Men of each age and tongue, 
Knights from a thousand fields 
Bearing their blazoned shields 

Thronged forth to meet you ! 
Tell us how, floating down, 
Each with a martyr's crown, 
They who had kept the faith, 
Grandly defying death, 
They who for conscience's sake 
Felt their firm heartstrings break, 
They who for truth and right 
Unshrinking fought the fight, 
They who through fire and flame 
Passed on to deathless fame 

Hastened to greet you ! 
Tell how they welcomed you, 
Hailed and applauded you, 
Claimed you as comrades true, 
Brave as the world e'er knew ; 
Led your triumphant feet 
Up to the highest seat, 
Crowned ye with amaranth, 
Laurel and palm ! 

VI. 

Alas, Alas ! They speak not ! 
The silence deep they break not ! 
Heaven keep its martyred ones, 
Beyond or moon or suns ; 
And Valhalla keep her braves, — 
Leaving to us their graves ! 



36 



Then let these graves speak for them 

As long as the wind sweeps o'er them ! 

As long as the sentinel ridges 

Keep guard on either hand ; 

As long as the hills they fought for 

Like silent watch-towers stand ! 

VII. 

Yet not of them alone 

Round each memorial stone 
Shall the proud breezes whisper as they pass, 

Eustling the faded leaves 

On chilly autumn eves 
And swaying tenderly the sheltering grass ! 

O ye who on this field 

Knew not the joy to yield 
Your young, glad lives in glorious conflict up, 

Ye who as bravely fought, 

Ye who as grandly wrought, 
Draining with them war's bitter cup, 

As long as stars endure 

And God and Truth are sure, 

While Love still claims its own, 

While Honor holds its throne 

And Valor hath a name, 

Still shall these stony pages 

Repeat to all the ages 

The story of your fame ! 

VIII. 

O beautiful one, my Country, 
Thou fairest daughter of Time, 
To-day are thine eyes unclouded 
In the light of faith sublime ! 
No thunder of battle appals thee ; 
From thy woe thou hast found release ; 
From the graves of thy sons steals only 
This one soft whisper, — " Peace ! " 



The benediction was then pronounced by Rev. Dr. H. W. 
McKnight, President of Pennsylvana College, of Gettysburg. 

The exercises were all of the highest interest. The addresses 
held the closest attention of the numerous audience. The oration 
produced a deep impression and was applauded to the echo. The 
poem was read with strong feeling and very fine effect by Prof. 
Churchill, and thrilled and touched every hearer. And it was the 
general verdict of the many intelligent citizens of Gettysburg 
who were present, that among the many similar occasions of the 
kind which had occurred upon the Battlefield, not one had been 
marked by more dignified, fitting and impressive exercises. 



— 37 — 

The procession now formed again, and moved to Little Eound 
Top, at the foot of which an ample lunch was served to the Ver- 
monters and their guests. Moving thence to the summit of Little 
Round Top, Col. John B. Batchelder of Massachusetts, the historian 
and statistician of the Battle of Gettysburg, explained, in a clear 
and comprehensive manner, the various movements of the two ar- 
mies on the second and third days of the battle, with especial refer- 
ence to the parts taken by the Vermont troops. The company then 
moved to the monument of the First Vermont Brigade, on Sedgwick 
Avenue. Halting around the granite lion, they were addressed by 
Col. T. 0. Seaver, as follows : 

ADDRESS OF COL. T. 0. SEAVER. 



Comrades and Citizens of Vermont: 

It is indeed most fitting that a grateful country should mark 
with enduring bronze or granite, the spot where its sons, in the 
fore front of hottest battle have offered their lives to preserve its 
integrity and maintain its honor. By such offerings its history is 
enriched and its character ennobled. 

At Bunker Hill, that great stone finger, pointing up to heaven, 
in simple unuttered language tells the story of the Revolution. 

We recognize the gratitude of our State, which has moved 
it to set up over yonder that beautiful granite column, which 
has already been dedicated in such impressive manner and by 
such appropriate speech. We all realize how appropriate it is, 
that it should stand there, on the very spot where the valor of her 
sons was so conspicuously displayed, on that historic day and field, 
which they so gallantly helped to win. 

I think I correctly voice the sentiment of the Old Brigade, in 
saying, that whatsoever of credit we may think ourselves entitled to, 
f orbattles fought on other fields, or deeds done otherwheres, we have 
and claim no part of the renown won by Vermont on the battle 
slopes of Gettysburg. That renown was won by the soldiers of the 
Second Brigade ; and we are too jealous of our own honor to wish to 
lessen theirs by sharing it. 

But when I come back from that perilous ridge, to this spot 
where the First Vermont Brigade (and, but for this field I should 
have said, The Vermont Brigade) was arrayed on that long to be 
remembered third day of July, 1863, I almost feel as if fate was 



— 38 — 

mocking that grand old battle column, in that the fine old regi- 
ments of which it was made up, veterans of well nigh two score 
bloody fields, should at last be remembered by a monument set up 
on a field where they fired never a hostile gun nor once looked their 
foe in the face. 

And so here, at the dedication of a monument to The Old 
Brigade, what can I say ? Its history is of the history of Ver- 
mont during the war, made up not by the books it has written, but 
by the deeds it wrought. Its character is shown in the thinned 
ranks of its survivors, and in the number of its dead on its battle- 
fields. On one fine day in May, down across the Eappahanock, in the 
tangled thickets of the "Wilderness, each one of its five regiments 
left more men dead on the field than all the Vermont regiments 
together lost at Gettysburg. 

Vermont had eighteen regiments in the service. The roll of 
her killed in battle is seventeen hundred and three. Of this number, 
nine hundred and seventy-eight were of the Old Brigade. The 
simplest, baldest statement of these historic facts, is the most 
eloquent description of its character that human lips can utter. 

In the early morning of July 2, 1863, we were at Manchester, 34 
miles east of Gettysburg ; we marched all day to the music of the 
guns, and at five o'olock in the afternoon of that hot, scorching day 
we were here. The next morning it was said that Gen. Hood was 
about to march around the southern flank of this mountain, and 
that we were here to' "receive him in due and ancient form." 

He never came. We never thought he could come. The ob- 
structions in his way would have proved very great. 

All through that long summer's day we lay here and listened 
to the roar of more than two hundred guns that seemed to rock the 
solid earth to its centre. The Army of the Potomac is fighting a 
great battle and we not in it ; and so we rest and try to realize as 
best we can, that "they also serve, who only stand and wait." 

Long before set of sun, the field was ours. It was the begin- 
ning of the end of that gigantic effort to destroy this Nation. 

We gratefully accept this monument set up here, where Ver- 
mont has placed it, as a token of the esteem in which she holds the 
Old Brigade ; and we are not unmindful of its artistic beauty and 
the poetic significance of the sculptured figure that crowns its 
summit. In it and by it the Artist has sought, and we think not 
unsuccessfully, to typify the character of the Old Brigade. We 
hope that those who know us best, will most easily discern its 
truth. 

And finally as we leave it here in trust to the Battlefield 
Association, we hope that in all the coming years, as our children in 
their pilgrimages from their distant States, shall visit this spot, they 
may find in the contemplation of this structure and the mighty 



— 39 — 

events here enacted, something that shall remind them of the value 
of their country, and of the cost at which its integrity was pre- 
served, and so shall be sealed their own devotion to its honor and 
its nag. 



The procession then moved to the Cavalry monument on Kil- 
patrick Avenue, where Gen. William Wells gave a concise and 
interesting description of the part taken by the First Vermont Cav- 
alry, and especially of the famous cavalry charge, under Gen. 
Farnsworth, in which Gen. Wells, then Major of the First Vermont 
Cavalry, commanded a battalion and rode at Farnsworth's side into 
the lines of Law's Confederate Brigade. Captain C. H. Par- 
sons, of Natural Bridge, Va., who also commanded a battalion of 
the First Vermont Cavalry and was wounded in the charge, further 
described Farnsworth's charge and the death of its leader. 

Thence the company moved to the monument to Companies E and 
H, Second U. S. Sharpshooters, near the Slyder house, where Capt. 
Curtis Abbott of Company H, described the reception given by the 
Sharpshooters to Law's- brigade at that point, in which he took 
part. Moving thence to the marble monument to Company F, 
First U. S. Sharpshooters, west of the Emmittsburg Road, the com- 
pany halted in front of it, and listened to Sergeant Cassius Peck of 
Brookfield, who described the movements and service of the com- 
pany on that field, and to Lieutenant Colonel Wm. Y. W. Ripley 
of the 1st IT. S. S., who, after some brief remarks, introduced Capt. 
Merriam of Company F, who spoke of the part taken by Company 
F in the morning engagement of July 2, 1863. 

This closed the public exercises and the assembly dispersed, all 
who were privileged to be present having been profoundly interested 
and impressed by the sights and utterances of the day. A special 
train next day conveyed the Verm enters to New York, whence 
they sought their homes. 



APPENDIX 



CONTRIBUTIONS. 

The following contributions in money were made by citizens of 

Vermont : 

J. G. McCullough, North Bennington $200 00 

F. B. Jennings, North Bennington 100 00 

Frederick Billings, Woodstock 500 00 

A. B. Valentine, Bennington 100 00 

C. S. Page, Hyde Park 100 00 

B. B. Smalley, Burlington 100 00 

U. A. Woodbury, Burlington 50 00 

B. D. Harris, Brattleboro 50 00 

H. G. Root, Bennington 25 00 

L. K. Fuller, Brattleboro 100 00 

N. F. Cabot, Brattleboro 25 00 

H. Mann, Jr. , Wilmington 25 00 

J. Gregory Smith, St. Albans 500 00 

George F. Edmunds, Burlington 50 00 

Justin S. Morrill, Strafford 100 00 

Horace Fairbanks, St. Jolmsbury '. . _ 100 00 

A. E. Rankin, St. Jolmsbury ■■_ _ 100 00 

J. S. Newton, Brattleboro 5 00 

John C. Stearns, Bradford 10 00 

Hoyt H. Wheeler, Brattleboro 20 00 

Hugh H. Baxter, Rutland 100 00 

E. Henry Powell, Richf ord 50 00 

Franklin Fairbanks, St. Jolmsbury 50 00 

Simeon Allen, Fair Haven 50 00 

P. E. Chase, Mechanicsville 25 00 

Cyrus Jennings, Hubbardton 25 00 

L. G. Hinckley, Chelsea _ 25 00 

P. W. Clement, Rutland 25 00 

W. A. Crombie, Burlington 50 00 

J. W. Stewart, Middlebury 100 00 

A. F. Walker, Rutland 25 00 

Total money contributions in Vermont, $2,785 00 

Following is a list of money contributions made by former 

residents of Vermont, now living in other States : 

O. S. A. Sprague, Chicago $50 00 

Pacific Coast Association Native Sons of 

Vermont $158 50 



42 — 



The subscribers to this latter were : 

J. McM. Shafter $20 00 

P. J. Shatter _. 5 00 

Thomas McConnell 20 00 

Miss R. A. Jewell 1 00 

A. O. Colton . 5 00 

Dr. A. G. Soule 5 00 

Wm. J. Somers 5 00 

H. L. Dodge 20 00 

Chas. Webb Howard 20 00 

Wm. G. Barrett 5 00 

Alex. G. Hawes 5 00 

W. E. Belcher 5 00 

C. D. Ladd 2 50 

S.M.Collins 5 00 

R. Vandercook 5 00 

H. B. Williams 20 00 

A. W. Scott .___ 5 00 

Luther C. Dodge 5 00 

Total $158 50 

Members of Vermont Association in Boston $170 00 

Following are the subscriptions, each being for ten dollars : 

H. O. Houghton, Edmund H. Bennett, 

WalbridgeA. Field, James M. Gleason, 

Clyde D. V. Hunt, J. H. Benton, Jr. 

Geo. N. Carpenter, John P. Squire, 

Alden Speare, Guy Lamkin, 

H. J. Boardman, P. O'M. Edson, 

Herbert E. Hill, Reuben Greeve, 

Samuel Cutler, Wm. P. Shreve. 
Total 17, making $170 00. 

Total money contributions, $3,163 50 

Gifts of material and labor : 

Rush C. Hawkins, New York, drawing of 

State monument $ 50 00 

Ripley Sons, Rutland, towards Co. F, 1st 

U. S. S. monument... 700 00 

Total $750 00 

Total gifts of material and labor $750 00 

Total contributions $3,913 50 



— 43 — 
" A LION IN THE PATH." 

A WORK OF BOSTON ARTISTS PROCURED BY VERMONT FOR GETTYSBURG. 

[From the Boston Transcript, May 20, 1889.] 

As previously mentioned in the Transcript, Vermont is to honor her 
sons who fought at Gettysburg by erecting five monuments upon the field. 
One will stand where the Second Yt. Brigade under Stannard made the 
famous and effective charge upon Pickett's flank. This will be a Corinthian 
column, surmounted by a bronze statue of Stannard by Karl Gerhardt, and 
will stand sixty-six feet high. Three others of smaller size but attractive 
design will mark the positions of sharpshooters and cavalry, and the fifth 
will be placed where the First Brigade under General Lewis A. Grant 
guarded the left Union flank, east of Round Top. 

Fortunately or unfortunately for that brigade, it had no fighting to do 
at Gettysburg, though it had marched thirty-two miles in a day to get into 
the fight, but General Meade expected a powerful attack on his left and 
rear on the morning of the third day of the battle, and he placed this brigade 
where they would be the first to meet it. The attack, however, was made 
on the left centre, a mile to their right and rear, and tnese hardy veterans, 
distinguished in all the battles of the Army of the Potomac up to that time, 
chafed in inaction within half an hour's march of the exciting event. But 
their service was important, and the scene of it is to be marked in a singu- 
larly befitting manner. 

A majestic lion in a half -rising posture will be placed upon a pedestal 
inscribed with the brigade's record. It will stand at the centre of their 
position, on what is now known as Sedgwick avenue, and will face south. 
Charles W. Reed, the well-known Boston figure artist, who served in Big- 
elow's battery and afterwards as an engineer on Warren's staff, was asked 
by the Vermont commissioners to make a drawing suggestive of the story 
above set forth. He approved their idea of a lion, and proceeded to make 
an elaborate study of the lions of nature and art. His drawing has been 
modelled in clay by Messrs. Beattie and Brooks, who are at work this sum- 
mer in a studio at South Quincy. This morning the model was officially 
inspected and accepted, as well it may have been, for it is highly creditable 
as a "work of art. It is unlike any of the great lions of art in pose and 
expression, but it is true to the idea it expresses, and very true to Nature. 
The lions of Sir Edward Landseer, grouped about the Nelson column in 
Trafalgar Square, London, are couchant. The lion and lioness of Barye are 
not exactly rampant, but on the walk. This lion of Reed's is half rampant 
and nerved to the utmost, his head erect and turned to the tumult of battle, 
his brawny forearms straightened, and his body lifted, while his mane and 
tail and all the muscles of his body stand out instinct with animation and 
power. The sculptors appear to have been very faithful to the sketch, 
which is greatly to their credit, and in making the technical developement 
in clay they have shown ability and the effects of thorough training, and 
have adapted their work to the material in which it is to be executed. It 
might be ambitious, or at least premature, to say that this lion will become 
recognized as worthy to take rank with the animal sculpture that has made 
a few men famous, but there can be no doubt it will stand honorably con- 
spicuous at Gettysburg. The Carrick Brothers of St. Johnsbury, who have 
already executed considerable good work, will have the delicate duty of 
faithfully reproducing this model in stone. 



— U — 
LETTERS EROM DISTINGUISHED MEN 

WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT AT THE DEDICATION. 

The following letters were among those received by the Monu- 
ment Commission : 

FROM PRESIDENT HARRISON. 

Deer Park, Md., Sept. 26, 1889. 

Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 
20th inst. , extending to nie on behalf of the State of Vermont an invitation 
to attend on October 9th, the exercises connected with the dedication of the 
monuments erected by your State to commemorate the valor of her soldiers 
so conspicuously exhibited in the battle of Gettysburg. The occasion is one 
so full of interest that it would give me great pleasure to accept the invita- 
tion so cordially extended, but my public engagements will, I fear, compel 
my presence in Washington. 

With great respect, ^ery truly yours. 

Benjamin Harrison. 
Gov. W. P. Dillingham, 

Waterbury, Vt. 

FROM VICE-PRESIDENT MORTON, 

Rhinecliff, N. Y., Sept. 30, 1889. 

My dear Sir, — I find upon my return from Washington your esteemed 
favor of the 20th inst. I regret extremely that previous engagements render 
it impossible for me to avail myself of the invitation with which I have been 
honored at your hands by the State of Vermont and the Commission, to be 
present on the occasion of the dedication of the monuments erected on the 
historic field of Gettysburg, to commemorate the valor of the sons in my 
native State who gave their lives that the nation might live. 

The ceremony will be a deeply interesting one and I shall be with you 
in spirit if not in person. With thanks for the cordial terms of which you 
have been pleased to convey the invitation, and renewed regrets, 

I have the honor to be very faithfully and truly yours, 

Levi P. Morton. 
His Excellency, W. P. Dillingham, 

Governor of the State of Vermont. 

from president matthew h. buckham. 

University of Vermont, 

Burlington, Vt., Oct. 2, 1889. 

Dear Sir,^Every true Vermonter will be with you in sympathy as you 
meet next Wednesday on the historic battle-ground of Gettysburg "to 
erect monuments to Vermont valor," as your invitation so happily expresses 
your mission on that occasion. Many times in the history of mankind has 
valor been devoted to the service of a righteous cause on a great battlefield, 
but never has a. nobler valor been devoted to a holier cause than when on that 
memorable day the sons of Vermont, in the cause of union and freedom, threw 
themselves on the flank of the rebel army at Gettysburg. Then and there 
the rebellion met its fate. In the glory of that culminating act of heroic 
patriotism the soldiers of many States had a share ; but none better deserve 
praise and gratitude and every token and pledge of undying remembrance 



- 45- 

that the men of our own Green Mountain State. If ever since the days of 
Ethan Allen and the Revolution it has been an honor to be a Green Moun- 
tain Boy, much more is it an honor now since Stannard's brigade has shown 
to the world what a small number of men of high character, well com- 
manded, can accomplish on a great battlefield. To commemorate worthily 
such deeds of such men is a great and sacred duty. The names of the men 
to whom this duty has been entrusted is a guaranty that it will be fittingly 
performed. 

Very respectfully, 

Matthew H. Buckham. 
Ebenezer J. Ormsbee, 

of the Monument Commission. 



FROM GEN". ANDREW COWAN/ OF COWANS BATTERY. 

Louisville, Ky., Oct. 8. 

Hon. E. J. Ormsbee : — I regret that I am unable to be present at the 
dedication of the monuments to the Vermont regiments at Gettysburg. 
My warmest greeting, especially to the comrades of the old Vermont 
brigade; I love its name, and honor the men whose devotion, endurance 
and heroism made it glorious. I witnessed the valor of Stannard's men on 
Cemetery Ridge. You have raised no monument high enough and no eulogy 
will be eloquent enough to do justice to that splendid achievement of the 
Vermont soldiers at Gettysburg. 

Andrew Cowan. 






-B N '05 



MAY 25*1905 



V-^l 




*r-\ 




^ 



